Four Winners Named in 2009 Utah District
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
Michelle Broadbent (soprano), Edward Hanlon (bass), Marilyn
Reid Smith (soprano) and Nina Yoshida Nelsen (mezzo soprano)
were named the winners of the Utah District of the Metropolitan
Opera National Council (MONC) 2009 auditions in Salt Lake
City on January 3, 2009 after two days of competition that
included 40 singers in Libby Gardner Concert Hall on the
University of Utah Campus.
Ms. Broadbent is a 29 year-old resident of Provo, Utah who
received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Utah State University
in 2006 and anticipates earning a Master of Music from Brigham
Young University in December of 2009. Mr. Hanlon is a 24
year-old resident of Port Washington, New York who received
a Bachelor of Music from McGill University in 2006, a Master
of Music from the University of Michigan in 2008 where he
is currently working on a Voice Specialist degree. Ms. Smith
is a 28 year-old resident of Provo, Utah who received a
Bachelor of Music from Brigham Young University in 2004
and recently earned Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute
of Music in December 2008. Ms. Nelsen is a 29 year-old native
of California who received a Bachelor of Music in Violin
and Psychology and a Master of Music in voice from Boston
University in 2001 and 2003; she currently is earning an
Artist Diploma from the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.
Ms. Nelsen was a 2006 winner of the Utah District MONC Auditions
who represented the Rocky Mountain Region at the National
Semi-Finals that year and is scheduled to sing Cherubino
in Utah Opera’s upcoming performance of The Marriage
of Figaro this March.
Each of the four winners received a cash prize of $1,000
and will compete with the winners of the Colorado-Wyoming
District auditions at the Rocky Mountain Region auditions
on Saturday, January 17, starting at 12:30 p.m. in the Ellie
Caulkins Opera House, 950 13th Street in Denver, Colorado.
The judges also awarded one $500 Encouragement award to
Cynthia Perkins (soprano), a 22 year-old resident of Rexburg,
Idaho working toward a degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho.
The judges made a special point to describe the encouragement
award not as a ‘runner-up’, but as someone who
holds special promise and they expect to hear again in the
future.
The judges for the 2009 Utah District auditions were Gayletha
Nichols, Director of the Metropolitan Opera National Council
Auditions; Timothy Noble, Operatic Baritone and Distinguished
Professor of Music, Indiana University; and Matthew Horner,
Vice President, IMG Artist Management..
The MONC Auditions is a program designed to discover promising
young opera singers and assist the development of their
careers. The auditions are held annually in 15 Regions of
the United States and Canada. The Utah District is one of
45 within these Regions, and provides an opportunity for
talented local singers to enter the auditions. Region winners
receive a cash prize and will be sponsored to go to New
York in February for the National Council Auditions Semi-Finals.
There, they will sing in a closed competition, accompanied
by piano on the Met’s stage, for a place as a National
Council Auditions Finalist. The Finalists will then perform
at the Grand Finals Concert on the stage of the Metropolitan
Opera, and up to five singers will be selected as National
Council Auditions Winners. The Winners will each receive
a $15,000 prize and will join the National Council Auditions’
impressive roster of alumni.
Many of the world’s foremost singers have received
awards from the National Council and over one hundred alumni
of the National Council Auditions sing in Met performances
during a typical opera season. The auditioners will sing
for judges selected from an elite list of conductors, outstanding
vocal coaches, career singers, opera composers, stage directors,
heads of opera companies and artistic administrators, who
are in a position to identify talent and assist young singers.
Additional information is available on our website www.utahdistrictauditions.org.
Announcing the
2009 Utah District Metropolitan Opera National Council
Finalists
Michelle Broadbent
Megan Phillips Cash
Dominick Chenes
Anthony Eversole
Stina Marie Eberhardt
Edward Hanlon
Heath Huberg
Nina Yoshida Nelsen
Cynthia Perkins
Marilyn Reid Smith
 |
2009 Utah District Metropolitan Opera
National Council Finalists
(left to right) Megan Phillips Cash, Anthony Eversole,
Stina Marie Eberhardt, Cynthia Perkins, Michelle Broadbent,
Edward Hanlon, Marilyn Reid Smith, Dominick Chenes,
Nina Yoshida Nelsen, Heath Huberg
|
The MONC Auditions is a program designed to discover promising
young opera singers and assist the development of their
careers. The auditions are held annually in 15 Regions of
the United States and Canada. The Utah District is one of
45 within these Regions, and provides an opportunity for
talented local singers to enter the auditions. Many of the
world's foremost singer have received awards from the National
Council and annually, approximately 100 former auditioners
appear in Metropolitan Opera productions. The auditioners
will sing for three judges, selected
from an elite list of conductors, outstanding vocal coaches,
career singers, opera composers, stage directors, heads
of opera companies and artistic administrators, who are
in a position to identify talent and assist young singers.
Both rounds of auditions are free and open to the public.
Donations to our organization support the costs incurred in presenting the auditions which include: prize monies for the winners; travel and housing for the judges; and operating expenses such as facilities rental, publicity and printed materials. Depending on the level of gift, sponsorships may be recognized in our publicity materials, printed programs and from the stage at the Utah District final auditions.
For the last thirty-six years, the MONC, Utah District, has provided not only a wonderful opportunity for aspiring local singer, but also an exciting musical and social event for the community. Our auditions are open and free to anyone who would like to observe the process. We find that many in our community are excited to watch the discovery of promising young talent.
Utah
District Auditions